When He Found Me
by Moonlight102310
Summary: 4 couples and huge misunderstandings equals 4 years of misery and suffering for each couple. What's each one to do once they finally meet face to face after so long? SasuxSaku, NaruxHina, ShikaxIno, NejixTen. This is not AU! Rated M!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters! The plot for this story is mine!

**AN: So I originally had this story posted, and for a while it sat there, barely started and unfinished. I've been reading it over and over and simply decided to redo it. It's still going to have the same concept, but I'm changing the way it's written. **

**So, to refresh your memory, here's the summary: 4 couples and huge misunderstandings equals 4 years of misery and suffering for each couple. What's each one to do once they finally meet face to face after so long? SasuxSaku, NaruxHina, ShikaxIno, NejixTen. This is not AU! Rated M! **

**So, I hope people will like this updated version better! I'm sorry for the late updates on Naruto the MatchMaker and Her Silver Bells. I've been exhausted and busy. I'll have a ton of time to update this weekend! Review!**

Prologue:

Sakura sniffled in Ino's arms as tears weaved down her bright pink cheeks. TenTen and Hinata sat near the two, both with concerned faces. It was late at night and she sat on her bench, her knees pulled up to her chest. She called her friends here after a long and terrible week, each needing to vent. They could tell that by the way the normally fierce and strong willed kunoichi was acting that her problem was worse.

The blonde stroked her best friend's pink locks, "Forehead, what happened?"

Sakura could barely get out the words before her throat filled with chocked sobs and coughs. TenTen crossed her arms angrily, "I'm not surprised it happened. He was the last one out of all of them to completely go off the handle." She punched a tree, "Dammit! Why now?"

Ino helped Sakura up, "We should go speak with Tsunade-sama."

Hinata nodded and performed the hand signs, transporting the four to the Hokage's large office. Tsunade immediately looked up when she heard her student's cries. Sakura's face was twisted in sadness and anger, which told the older blonde that whatever had happened, was something that couldn't be fixed.

She observed the other three girls and found their auras depressed and angry. "What is going on?" TenTen rubbed her forehead, "Hokage-sama, things have escalated badly here…is there anything you can do?"

Tsunade looked to her student, "Sakura, what is the meaning of this?"

Ino jumped in with a small voice, "Well Sas-"

The Pinkette snarled and lifted her head up. Her teary eyes were bright with fury and defiance at the mention of his name. "Don't! Don't you dare utter that bastard's name in front of me! He's nothing but dirt to me now!"

The blonde Hokage's eyes widened a fraction. That was all she needed to hear to confirm her suspicions that something terrible had happened. She looked to the shy Hyuuga, "Am I too assume that something happened to all of you?"

Hinata nodded her head and wiped some of the tears from her eyes, "Hai Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade leaned back in her seat. She carefully observed each girl before her eyes landed on Sakura one last time. She noticed the way one of her arms wrapped around her stomach. Tsunade sighed and dug through her drawer.

This scroll would bring entropy, and she knew exactly what would happen the moment she gave the roll to her student. She threw it to Sakura who easily caught it with one hand. Her voice was strict and short, "Leave. Be out of this village by sunrise."

Ino's blue eyes went wide, "For how long?"

This is the part that would kill the Hokage inside, "For as long as you need to be."

Hinata and TenTen bowed each feeling a bit homesick at the thought of leaving, "Arigato Hokage-sama." They threw a look to Ino before departing the room to grab their belongings. Ino too nodded her head; "I'll come find you okay?"

Sakura only nodded and watched her friend teleport from the room. Tsunade's arms wrapped around her and she let a few more tears escape. Tsunade shook her head, "No tears Sakura, do what you think must be done."

"But what about the village? The hospital?"

Like a mother would to a daughter, she kissed her forehead, "It will be waiting for you when you return." Sakura watched her teacher retreat to the window. The sky was pitch back and stars shined out brightly, "Leave Sakura."

"Thank you…Shishou." Sakura's form immediately vanished from the room. Tsunade sighed and let her shoulders slump. Tomorrow would bring chaos from the 4 boys returning from their mission. She bit the inside of her jaw before sitting back in her seat and locking away where she had sent her student to heal from her pain.

She pulled out a jug of sake and let a swing pass her lips, "Tomorrow, all hell will break loose." She looked at the empty container and sighed, "I'm going to need more sake."

**AN: Short little prologue, but another chapter will be up soon. I wonder how I'll juggle three stories! Review!**


	2. So Many Questions, So Little Answers

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters! The plot for this story is mine!

**AN: The cover of Losing my Religion that Lacuna Coil did is a great song to listen to in this chapter! Review!**

WITH SAKURA A HALF HOUR LATER:

She quietly looked around her apartment before setting her bag on her back. She had made sure to grab as much as she could, bringing all her clothes and supplies, along with some medical textbooks. She promised herself she wouldn't fall behind on her studies. Her heart clenched as she looked at the pictures on the nightstand. Her legs buckled underneath her and she sat on the bed, trying to keep her mind from spinning.

His subtle smirk and raven hair forced tears to her eyes as she flipped the picture down and stared blankly. Ino walked into the apartment, "Sakura! Come on!"

Her head snapped up when she heard the door to the bedroom creak open. Ino's eyes stared at her broken best friend sitting on her bed she once shared with the love of her life. "Come on Sakura, it's for the best."

Sakura only let her head drop and tears drip down her cheeks. "Ino…"

Ino strode over to the girl on the bed, her loose blonde hair weaving around her slender body. "I know how you feel Sakura, I do. For now, this is the best."

Sakura looked up through her pink bangs and let the blonde wrap her in a hug. She had so many questions and so much pain in her heart. "Why did he do this Ino? Why?"

Ino only sighed, "I don't know. I'm still wondering why Shikamaru did what he did. I don't think we'll ever know."

"I don't think I can live without him."

"He's a bastard whose lower then dirt Sakura, you said it yourself. We'll get through this. You have us."

Sakura let a few more tears drop before she pulled away from Ino. She wiped at her tear stricken cheeks before standing up. She pulled the picture into her hands before smashing it to the ground. Ino watched with a small smile on her face. She stood up and grabbed Sakura's bags. "Let's go."

"Are Hinata and TenTen waiting?"

Ino smiled, "Waiting for all of us to move on. We need to go…dawn is coming."

Sakura nodded, "Thank you Ino."

The two girls grabbed a couple more bags before leaving the apartment. They each secured their things on their backs before dashing out into the cool night. Hinata and TenTen were by the gate, each with their own bags. TenTen was swirling a kunai in her hand and Hinata was rubbing her arms as Ino and Sakura landed in front of them.

"We ready to leave?"

Sakura nodded at TenTen, "Did you leave anything for Neji?"

"Hell no! Why would I leave something for that stoic asshole? Let him know how pissed I am!"

Sakura couldn't help but giggle at her violent friend. Hinata trembled, "You aren't going to say goodbye to Naruto-kun? He's your teammate."

Sakura shook her head. Naruto would be upset, but in the end it would be better to leave without saying a word. "No, it's better to cut off all ties." She looked behind her one last time, "We should go."

Without another word, they leapt out of the village, the silence of a new morning surrounding them. With their chakra masked, they ran, far away from the problem approaching.

LATER THAT DAY:

"Dammit teme! I'm not doing the mission report! It's your god damn turn!"

The Uchiha adjusted his ANBU vest, "Hn, Sakura is home waiting for me. You do it dobe."

Naruto grit his teeth and looked at his teammates. An ANBU four-man cell made up of Shikamaru, Neji, himself and Sasuke. They were steadily approaching the hidden leaf, each eager to return to their normal lives after being gone for nearly two months.

They each ran silently, leaping with grace into their village. Sasuke could tell the moment he stepped through the gate that something was off. He focused his chakra and was quite surprised to find that Sakura's chakra was missing. He watched Shikamaru's face contort in confusion, "Any of you sense Ino?"

"Hn, I was just about to ask the same for Sakura."

Naruto crossed his arms and looked at the three jounin who were guarding the gate."Hey! Any of you see Sakura-chan? Or any of those four for that matter?"

The three looked at each other before looking back at the blonde ANBU, "Sorry Uzumaki-san, we can't give out that information."

Neji narrowed his eyes, "Under what orders?"

"It came directly from Lady Tsunade."

Without a word, Sasuke took off for Hokage tower, determined to get some answers as to why Sakura was not in the village. From the last letter he received from her, she was fine, working her normal shifts at the hospital. He knew he was overprotective, but he feared for her safety.

After he had returned to the village two years ago, he sought out his former teammate, trusting her as he returned to normal life. They had been together for well over a year now, and he was happy with her bubbly attitude by his side.

He could feel his teammates on his heels as he dashed through the streets. They were granted access into the tower and let into the Hokage's office. Her back was to them as she stood by the window.

Naruto stepped forward, "We're back Baa-san!"

She didn't turn around and her voice was low, "Welcome back boys."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Hokage-sama, do you sense Sakura in the village?"

Tsunade turned now and glared at the boys. She was livid with them. Four of her best kunoichi were driven away by their stupid antics...and she could do nothing about it. "No. She's not here."

Shikamaru crossed his arms, "Are they on a mission? I don't sense Hinata or TenTen either."

Tsunade sat and put her hands in front of her mouth. "They're gone."

Naruto ignored Tsunade's glare and obliviously asked, "When are they getting back? I'm dying to see Hinata-chan!" The Godaime grit her teeth and slammed her fist down on the wooden table. Naruto jumped back. "They're not coming back."

The Uchiha felt his body still and his voice was cold, "Why the hell not?"

Neji stepped forward, "Where did they go? Are they alright?"

Tsunade clenched her fists. She was half tempted to chew each and every one of them out for the damage they caused. With another glare she hissed out, "They left…because of you four and they aren't coming back!"

Sasuke refused to believe that. He turned on his heel and sped for the apartment he shared with the rosette. He prayed to whatever god was above that she was sitting at home, waiting for him to return. "Please, please be there Sakura."

He ran up the stairs to his apartment and threw the door open. He was met with the same place he had called home for a couple of years now. He looked around, "Sakura?"

His heart pounded when he didn't hear her light melodious voice return his call. He paced through the living room and through the hallway. He pushed the door to their bedroom open. The air was knocked out of him as he gazed at the bare room. All her clothes were gone, her supplies, her textbooks, everything personal. His eyes feel upon a picture frame on the ground with scattered glass.

He lightly padded over to it, and picked it up. The picture of the two was ripped now, with tiny little shards of glass embedded in the paper. His arms dropped to the side with the fram clutched tightly in his hand when he spied a note on the now lone pillow.

Sasuke quickly approached it, taking it in his hand slowly. He prayed he was in a Genjutsu. There's no reason for Sakura to leave him otherwise. Her small handwriting decorated the page and he felt his heart being ripped out with every word.

_Sasuke, _

_I know there's no easy way to say it and I'm not going to try and explain. It's only going to make me cry more when I need to be strong. I'm leaving the hidden leaf for good. Actually, all four of us are leaving._

_Don't come after me. Don't let Naruto come up with some elaborate rescue mission. Don't let Neji or Shikamaru freak out. We don't need rescuing. Even though it kills me inside to say this, I hope that the choice you made works out for you. It was obvious that everything you said about us wasn't completely true. _

_I hope you understand that I'm trying to do what's best for the two of us now. I'm not trying to be callous or insane, but this is what you wanted. Be happy, as I will try to be. Continue on with ANBU and good luck with your…fiancé. Know that no matter what, I'll always love you. For now, I just need to be by myself. _

_I'll always treasure what you've given me. _

_-Sakura_

He couldn't help it when his eyes bled red. He couldn't help it when he screamed and chucked the picture frame across the room. And he knew that he couldn't help it when the tears that had been building up escaped. Sakura was gone and he didn't know why. He felt his three teammates approach him slowly before taking the note. They each took their time reading it before it grew quiet.

Shikamaru was confused. He hadn't remembered doing something to Ino…so what reason would she have to leave? The last he had checked, they were fine. "This can't be right. This has to be fake Sasuke."

Sasuke gripped his hair. He stood and went to his dresser drawer and pulled out a small velvet box. The note he had written to her was still attached. He had been planning to propose to her the night he returned from this mission.

Neji grit his teeth, "There's no fucking way this is real. They're probably just on a mission."

Naruto whimpered. His shy Hinata…gone without so much as a goodbye to him? His best friend and teammate copying exactly how Sasuke had left all those years ago? "If it were a mission, then why is Baa-san acting like she had to send them away? Why couldn't we know?"

Sasuke slammed his fist down on the dresser. "God fucking dammit!"

Naruto approached his best friend, "Teme, I'm sure Sakura's fine…maybe it's just a top secret mission and we can't know because it would jeopardize their safety."

Shikamaru shook his head, "Somehow Naruto, I don't think so. I think they're gone…for good."

Naruto glared at the lazy genius, "Why would you give up just like that?"

"You think I want to let go of Ino so easily? I don't! But you have to rational and logical here Naruto." Shikamara snapped.

"What the hell did I do? Hinata never even mentioned being angry at me! I am being rational!" Neji nodded in agreement, "TenTen and me always talk. If there was something wrong, she would tell me instead of pulling a stunt like this."

Sasuke grit his teeth. "Sakura wouldn't fucking abandon me without a reason. I was going to propose to her for fuck sakes!"

"Now now Sasuke…it's not nice to swear in front of everyone."

The four boys turned to the window to find a silver headed ninja perched outside. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the other sharingan user, "Where's Sakura Kakashi?"

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, "Gone I guess. You didn't gather that from her lack of chakra here?" Naruto crossed his arms, "Where did they go? Why did they leave Kakashi-sensei?"

"Sorry Naruto, but I can't answer that."

Shikamaru sighed, "Why not?"

The silver headed ninja shook his head, "Because I don't know where they are. The only one who knows is Tsunade-sama. She won't even tell Shizune. She's got this locked up tight and I know she has no intention of telling anyone."

Neji growled, "I refuse to believe this. There's no reason for them to just abandon the village! TenTen wouldn't do something like this!" Kakashi shrugged again and put his book in his back pocket, "Whether or not you believe it, they're gone."

"Why are you here Kakashi? Trying to rub this in our faces?" Sasuke asked.

"No, I'm here on orders from Tsunade-sama. You four are on lockdown from going after them. No missions or leaving the village without permission." He quickly dashed away, leaving the four standing there. Sasuke grit his teeth and fell to the bed, his knees buckling. It seemed unreal and it tore at his cold heart. Is this how Sakura felt when he left the village all those years ago? He felt alone and for once, he didn't know what to do.

WITH THE GIRLS LATER THAT NIGHT:

Sakura laid on her back, looking up at the stars. Tears continually filled her eyes although no chocked or wrecked sobs left her throat. A roaring fire was going as the four girls sat around it. TenTen was polishing her kunai, her voice quiet from hours of complaining about a certain stoic Hyuuga back in Konoha.

Ino hooked her arms under her knees and stared into the fire, her blue eyes blank and spaced out. Hinata was making some food and kept her eyes to the pot, no words to describe how she felt.

"I miss Konoha."

The three looked over at the Pinkette. She was sitting up now, her long hair falling over her shoulders. Ino sighed, "I know, I miss home too."

TenTen put her kunai down and looked at her best friends, "But however much we miss home, we need this. We need to get away from them."

Hinata sniffled and rubbed at her eyes, "Will we ever go home?"

Ino nodded her head, "I hope so."

The Pinkette laid back down and looked up at the bright shining stars. She hoped she would find out why things had to happen this way. As exhaustion took over, her eyes shut. "Some…day."

**AN: Well, I know this is short and it doesn't explain anything yet, but give it time. Things heat up next chapter! I've got the time to get another chapter written! I will get another chapter for Naruto the MatchMaker, and Her Silver Bells up today or tomorrow. I'm also doing a special request oneshot that should be up within the next week. If anyone wants a special request story, let me know! Review! **


	3. 4 Years Later

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters! But the plot for this story is mine!

**AN: A song to listen to during the part with Sasuke and Naruto is: Heartquake-Super Junior K.R.Y ft Eunhyuk! This chapter is short, but it jumpstarts the rest of the story! Review!**

4 YEARS LATER:

Sasuke laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling. His eyes were blank and cold as he listened to the rain pouring outside his window.

Each day that had passed since Sakura was left, he felt a piece of him die inside. He had no motivation to do anything anymore. The past 4 years had been painful and slow. Each day he tried to tell himself that she would return to his side only to go to sleep disappointed and lonely.

The only family he had left had abandoned him over a misunderstanding. Each day he read her note, wondering where she had gotten the idea that he was engaged to someone else.

Why did she not wait for his return before taking off? Had he had been here, he would have been able to stop her and knock some sense into her.

He hated this separation. He had been forbidden to go after her and return her home. Some part of him believed this was god's way of laughing at him for how he acted in the past. Had she felt this way when he left? Had she cried?

But he had come home after his business was done. He could only hope she would do the same and that he would be able to fix whatever had torn her away from him.

In the past few years, many girls threw themselves at him, each hoping for a chance to fix the broken heart of the last Uchiha. Every time he turned them away, knowing that Sakura was the only woman for him.

He heard his door open and looked over to see Naruto staring at him. "Hn, dobe."

"Teme come on, you need to get out of here."

Sasuke sat up and looked out the window. The rain pouring outside splashed against the window hard, making tiny noises. "No point."

Naruto sighed and leaned against the doorframe. "Teme, we're supposed to meet Neji and Shikamaru at the bar. You promised."

Sasuke shook his head, "No, I'm not going. Karin is only going to try and hit on me more."

Karin who had originally returned with Sasuke 6 years ago had tried time and time again to lure the Uchiha into her web to only be unsuccessful. Had he not been a loyal man to Sakura, he would've taken the redhead's offer.

Naruto looked sadly at the Uchiha. It wasn't fair that he himself had to go through losing another teammate again. It also wasn't fair that his girlfriend had left him as well. But he couldn't stand seeing Sasuke so depressed.

Sakura had always been the glue that held them together. Even when Sasuke was gone, she had been the optimistic one that he would return. She had been the one to push him to bring the Uchiha home. She had also been the one to make the Uchiha stay. Without her, Naruto felt like he would also lose Sasuke.

The blonde wouldn't deny that his heart had torn in half when Hinata disappeared without a goodbye. But he tried to remain hopeful that she too would return to him someday. In the meantime, he had to be the strong one for his friends. He walked over to Sasuke and pulled him from the bed, "Come on Sasuke, sitting here wishing that they're going to return out of the blue isn't going to work. It's been 4 years, it's obvious that if they wanted to come back, they would've."

The Uchiha ached to deny this. Would it be better to let go of her? Would he feel less pain? Or would he feel like dirt for letting his only sliver of hope go in favor of a slew of meaningless flings?

The raven-haired shinobi knew Naruto wouldn't get off his back if he didn't go tonight. But somehow, he really didn't care. He shrugged Naruto off, "I'm not going."

Naruto crossed his arms, "Sasuke-teme…come on."

Sasuke laid back down, "I said no Naruto. Leave." He didn't realize however how this one decision would come back to haunt him later.

The blonde let out a small sigh and turned, leaving the Uchiha to wallow in his depressed state. There was no point anymore. Naruto quickly weaved some hand-signs and teleported himself to the bar where Shikamaru and Neji were waiting. The Hyuuga threw back a cup of sake and looked at the blonde with a blank look, "I take it Sasuke refused to come?"

Naruto took a seat, "Yea, he was afraid Karin would hit on him more. The poor guy's just staring out the window waiting for Sakura to come back."

The lazy genius sighed. He felt like Sasuke, wishing and waiting for Ino to resurface. He had another blonde on his tail, pushing him to forget his blue-eyed love for her. Shikamaru threw back his own drink, "I don't blame him. I'd be home doing the same thing now if Temari hadn't come by."

Naruto chuckled, "Still hasn't given up?"

"No, the girl is persistent."

Neji turned around in his chair. He had only grown bitterer since the disappearance of TenTen. He had lost his faith in destiny and lashed out at people who talked about the violent weapon's mistress. He refused to believe that he had done something to drive her away. He drank his glass and set it down on the counter. "Life sucks now. Maybe we should just leave the village."

Naruto shook his head, "And go where? Follow them? It's been four years, shouldn't we just move on?"

Shikamaru chuckled, "I can't believe you're actually saying that Naruto. Out of all of us, I'd expect Sasuke to be saying that."

"I know, but if they wanted to come back wouldn't they?" Just as the words left his mouth, a giggle protruded from across the room. His head shot up and he turned. Neji looked at him weirdly, "What is it?"

"That laugh. It sounded familiar."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "Who did it sound like?"

"It sounded like Sakura-chan's…" He heard the giggle again and this time he stood, looking straight ahead. He could see a man with black hair talking with a woman. He couldn't see her face, but the pink hair was a dead ringer for his lost best friend. His heart stopped, "Sakura-chan?"

The girl froze in her spot. The guy she had been talking to turned to see the blonde and now Neji and Shikamaru staring in their direction. Neji's eyes widened as bright mesmerizing jade eyes peeked out from behind the guy. "It's…her, it's got to be her."

Shikamaru was on his feet now, rushing towards the two. The girl with pink hair quickly kissed the guy on the cheek and ran out a back door, her long pink hair flying behind her. Naruto and Neji were on Shikamaru's heel as he burst through the door and into the rain. The girl was a few feet ahead of them, standing in the rain with her back to them. Naruto stepped forward, "Sakura-chan?"

She didn't turn, but her shoulders tensed. Neji clenched his fist, "Sakura Haruno, answer us!"

Her long pink hair swung as she shook her head. Shikamaru doubted for a minute that it was her until he recognized the chakra. It had grown much stronger then he remembered. Could Sasuke feel it? "Sakura, is that really you?" Her head bowed and he could hear a distinct gasp. The three watched as her arms rose up and her hands performed various hand-signs. At the last moment, she turned and raised her head. She smirked, "Long time no see boys."

"Where the hell have you been?"

Sakura shook her head and chuckled, "It's nice to see you three as well."

Neji growled, "Don't play fucking innocent Sakura, do you have any idea what you four did to us? Your decision to leave almost killed us!"

The Pinkette rolled her eyes, "You are obviously mistaken."

Naruto couldn't believe her attitude. "What happened to you? What happened to the Sakura-chan I knew?"

Her eyes flicked to Naruto and she glared, "That Sakura is gone Naruto and you'd be wise to remember that." Shikamaru couldn't believe his ears. This couldn't be Sakura. She was never this cold and unfeeling towards her friends. "Why did you leave? Were you forced?"

That drew a laugh from the rosette. "Forced? Hah! I left of my own will."

Naruto grit his teeth, "Dammit Sakura-chan, you have no idea how bad that messed Sasuke up! You left the guy depressed and alone!"

Fire burned in her eyes at the name, "Then the bastard shouldn't have betrayed me in the first place. He knew exactly what he had done. He deserved it."

"What did he do?"

She rolled her eyes, "As if you don't know. Don't play stupid with me."

The three looked at each other. They had no idea what she was talking about. They watched her clench her fists before letting out a deep breath, "If you three are done with the interrogation, I'm leaving."

Naruto stepped forward, "Sakura! Please, just come inside and talk to us." She stepped backwards before hissing, "Don't come any closer Naruto."

He gazed at her with sad eyes, "What happened to you?"

She shut her eyes and weaved her hand-signs. As she moved to weave the last one, she spoke with her eyes hidden beneath her bangs, "Life happened Naruto."

Shikamaru crossed his arms, wanting to see if there was any trace of the old Sakura still there, "Do you still love him?"

Her breath hitched and her mouth couldn't form the words. With a quick little nod, she weaved the final hand-sign. A white cloud of smoke enveloped her as her form vanished from its spot. Naruto couldn't believe it. Sakura was actually back in town. How long had she been here? Did that mean that Hinata, Ino and TenTen were back as well? Why had she changed so much?

Neji was equally as shocked. Sakura had changed so much in the four years she left. Her hair was longer and her body was more mature. Her eyes were brighter and her chakra was more defined. He couldn't sense any of the other three, but if she was back, then it had to mean they were possibly back as well right?

Shikamaru turned to his friends, "We have to tell Sasuke."

"Tell me what?"

Naruto turned to find Sasuke standing outside the door to the club, his arms crossed. Naruto ran up to him, "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, "I needed a drink."

Naruto looked at the Uchiha straight in the eye, "Teme…we just…she was…Sakura."

Sasuke tensed. Why would Naruto bring her up after he came here out of the goodness of his heart? "What about her?"

Naruto swallowed, "Sakura…she's back."

**AN: Short chapter, I know. I apologize for that. If I had my way, I'd stuff everything in this chapter, but then the story would be very short then! So, review and hopefully Ill get another chapter up soon. I've got another chapter for her silver bells and Naruto the matchmaker going up tomorrow! Review!**


	4. Ino's Back

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters! The plot for this story is mine!

**AN: Sorry it's a bit on the short side. But review! **

5 DAYS LATER:

Shikamaru sat with his three friends inside Ichiraku's, slowly eating some ramen. He peered at the Uchiha across the table that was scowling.

He hadn't believed any of them when they claimed to see Sakura. He was livid and almost took out his rage on Naruto. Had it not been for Shikamaru and Neji holding him back, Naruto would probably be in the hospital at the part that pissed Sasuke off the most was the three claiming she changed and was cold and bitter towards him now. Instead of believing them, he chose to deny that she was back by saying he couldn't feel her chakra.

Shikamaru sighed when Naruto pleaded for the Uchiha to listen to him. "Something was different about her teme! I swear we saw her!"

The Uchiha put down his cup, "Hn, drop it dobe. I don't want to hear you say anything more about it. If she was here, she would've come to see me."

What part of Sakura had changed did he not understand? He had never seen Sakura like this. She was cold and unfeeling. It reminded him a lot of how Sasuke was like when he left. Naruto grabbed at his hair, "Not if she's pissed at you baka!"

The Uchiha ignored him and continued to eat. The lazy genius looked out onto the street and sighed. Had it been possible that they were mistaken? Maybe it had been a Genjutsu of sorts?

He was perpetually sad, and alone. He was never in the mood to go anywhere or do anything. He hated looking at flowers now, for they always reminded him of Ino's brightness and simple beauty. He missed her violent attitude when he was lazy and the way her blues eyes would shine when they looked at one another. Why did she have to go? If Sakura had left of her own will, did she?

Shikamaru stood, "I'll see you guys later."

Neji looked up at him, "Where are you going Shikamaru?"

"I just need to go."

The brunette shoved his hands in his pockets and walked out of the restaurant. It was twilight outside, and civilians were hurrying to gather everything inside. Children still played in the street as the streetlights came on and illuminated the road.

Shikamaru found himself walking towards the bridge with a river running underneath it. He leaned over the railing and stared at the clear blue water. He sighed and shut his eyes once images of Ino's eyes wiggled their way into his mind.

He hadn't slept well in years. He barely found the will to argue or keep his spirits high. He opened his eyes and watched little bugs fly over the soft current in pairs. He remembered how he often would do this with Ino. He hated how all he had to hold on of her was his past memories.

"Pretty isn't it?"

Shikamaru's head snapped up. He dared not breathe. He slowly turned his head to find a girl with long blonde hair sitting on the railing a few feet down from him. Her eyes were shut but he knew her. Had she really come back to him? Was he dreaming?

"I-Ino?"

Her eyes slowly opened to reveal her soft blue eyes. Her hair was down and swayed around her body. She refused to look him in the eye and peered down at the river. "It's been awhile Shikamaru."

He wanted to hiss at the use of his full name. She always used to call him 'Shika-kun'. His full name coming from her sounded strange and foreign to him. He turned to her fully now and took a few steps towards her. She didn't move, although she clutched the railing tighter. "Ino, you're back."

She nodded at him. Her face was blank and her eyes held no warmth as she stared at him. He wondered what else had changed about her besides the fact that she was being so cold towards him. Her hair was much longer then he remembered and her face had thinned out slightly. Her bangs that usually rested over her eye were pulled back and she wore regular civilian clothing. She shrugged at him nonchalantly. "I suppose I am."

"Why…why did you leave?"

Of course he would jump to that question right off the bat. She grit her teeth. "Now is not the time to ask that question Shikamaru."

He clenched his fist and leapt towards her. While she didn't move, she was a bit shocked to find him in front of her, grabbing at her wrists. He pulled her down and enveloped her in his arms. Her body was warm in his arms. The girl that fit perfectly in his embrace was back, "God Ino, I've missed you so much."

She pounded her fists against his chest, "Let me go Nara."

He gripped her tighter, "No Ino. I won't."

She struggled with his grip and finally pushed him away from her. He only scuffled back a few feet before glaring at her, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

She glared at him, "I don't want you touching me."

"Why the hell not?"

She crossed her arms and looked away, "I have my reasons Shikamaru." He didn't care. He moved towards her again and pinned her against the railing. "Why? What happened to you? Why did you leave me?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "You know full well why I left."

"Dammit Ino! I don't! You four left us without any fucking explanations! We were forbidden to go after you!"

"For good reasons! We wanted to get away from you! You were the one who fucked up!"

He grabbed her chin and descended his lips onto hers. He shut his eyes and held her face against his, coaxing her to respond to him. He felt his heart pound and a little life come back into his chest. Her wonderful scent enveloped him and he ran his fingers through her long blonde hair. She pulled away and glared at him, "That was a dirty play Shikamaru."

"Tell me why you left Ino."

She had enough. Why did he have to keep asking her about her pain? She snarled, "I FOUND YOU CHEATING ON ME WITH TEMARI!"

He was stunned so much that his arms dropped to his sides. Cheating on her with Temari? He stared at her enraged face. This had to be a joke. He would never stray from her. "Ino…I didn't. You know I wouldn't do that to you."

She snapped, "Save it Nara. I saw it with my own eyes."

It was a mistake. It had to be a misunderstanding. "Then you were in a Genjutsu or something because I never did that!"

Ino never wanted to punch the man in front of her so hard in her life. Now he makes up excuses because she's back? Why would he try to deny it when she saw it with her own eyes? She shook her head, "No Shikamaru, it was real and you saw me watching."

He refused to believe that. He wrapped his arms around her, "Ino, I love you. It's only been you. I had no reason to cheat on you." Ino struggled to believe that. Flashbacks of the sight she saw passed through her mind. It wasn't fair that those images were seared into her mind and she had to live with it. Now he chose to deny it to her face? It was no wonder she left. Tears infiltrated her eyes. "I can't believe that Shikamaru."

His eyes went wide, "Why? Why can't you believe me?" They had known each other for years. They were teammates! She should trust no one better then him! He wanted to hug her and keep her in his arms forever, "Come back to me Ino, I need you." She put her hand to his chest and pushed him away, "It's too soon." She looked away, "I need to go."

He wouldn't let her leave the village again without a fight. "Ino…don't go. Talk this out with me."

Against her better judgment, she kissed his cheek, "I'll see you around Shikamaru."Faster then he could blink, she disappeared in a flurry of flowers. He stood watching the wind carry those flowers away from him once again. The emptiness was back with a full throb and he grabbed onto the railing to keep himself steady. "Ino…"

He didn't know how long he stood there. It must've been hours when he felt a hand on his shoulder and two other people next to him. Sasuke leaned against the railing and looked down at the river, "You look lost Nara."

He shut his mouth. Neji and Naruto watched him curiously before peering at each other. It was true, the genius looked lost as he gazed out at the spot Ino had just been. Naruto patted his shoulder, "What's wrong Shikamaru…you look like you've seen a ghost."

"Not a ghost…she's back…"

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed, "Who?"

Shikamaru shook his head, "Ino."

**AN: Review! **


	5. Shock and Strength

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters! The plot for this story is mine!

**AN: Hey all! I swear I'm coming out from the piles of homework I've been buried under. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy and Review!**

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean Ino's back?"

Shikamaru gripped the railing. He couldn't believe it. Ino was back and she was avoiding him now? How the hell could she accuse him of cheating on her…with Temari of all people? He wanted to know where she saw this. If his memory served him correct, he had been on a two-month mission when this occurred. There was no way her facts were correct. Had she been trapped under a genjutsu? Was it some elaborate prank? Naruto stood there in shock, "Ino too? Was she just as cold as Sakura?"

The genius sighed. She wasn't as bitter as Sakura seemed to be. He wished she would've stayed so they could talk everything out. Shikamaru shook his head, "Not as much. She's hurt and she thinks I cheated on her."

Neji raised an eyebrow, "When does she believe this happened?"

"It must've been when we were gone. This has to be a mistake. She wasn't screaming at me though. She wasn't as angry as Sakura."

Sasuke grit his teeth. He couldn't believe they were dragging this out. He knew that if Sakura were back, she would have sought him out. "She is not back. Stop saying that."

Naruto groaned, "She is back! Accept it!"

"I will when she returns to me." He turned and shoved his hands in his pockets. The three men watched him sulk down the street and grumble under his breath. Shikamaru shook his head. He felt out of place. He pushed himself away from the railing and stalked down the street, intent on going home and thinking this entire thing over.

Naruto and Neji stood there for a moment, before the Hyuuga sighed. "I honestly don't know what to make of this."

Naruto nodded glumly, "Do you think they're all back?"

Neji shrugged. "It's too hard to tell. Uncle would have told me if Hinata was back." Naruto whined and followed after the brown haired shinobi, "Was your uncle ever told of where she went to?"

Neji shook his head. Tsunade had definitely remained tight-lipped on the girls' whereabouts while they were gone. No one could ever figure out where they vanished. Not even Shizune had been able to get the blond Hokage to give up the information. "No. Tsunade-sama never told anyone. He wouldn't deny the Hokage or try to argue with her. It's not his place and nor is it ours Naruto."

The two made it to the training grounds when Naruto sighed. "I should check on Sasuke-teme. He's probably pissed off at me now." Neji only nodded as the energetic blonde ran in the direction of Sasuke's home.

Neji didn't like feeling alone anymore. His world became very bleak and angry when TenTen left without a single goodbye. He could barely tolerate people in the village besides those of the rookie 9. He spent most of his days training and meditating, doing anything to rid his mind of his former teammate. With all the occurrences though, she had crept into his mind and it was beginning to drive him mad.

Why did she have to leave him? What had happened to those four girls that made their lives so tragic? The TenTen he knew wasn't someone who would run away from a bad situation. She would stay to try and figure things out. What made absolutely no sense to him was how his own cousin had the courage to abandon the village, without even letting her father know of where she gone.

Neji sighed and cracked his neck getting ready to train. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath when a kunai whizzed past his face and lodged itself into the tree behind him. His eyes flicked open and stared out over the training field. He felt his heart stop when he saw two figures training away from him. No one ever used this field besides him. They were both women, and he immediately recognized them.

He could barely breathe. He activated his byakugan to made sure the girls were really who he thought they were. "TenTen? Hinata?"

The two stopped and looked up at the man across the field. The girl with lavender hair frowned at the other woman. She sighed and lowered her chakra filled hands. Her byakugan deactivated and Neji felt his pulse pick up. "Sakura told us we shouldn't have come here."

Neji stared at the girl with brown hair. It was TenTen alright, except that her hair wasn't in her trademark buns. It rolled down her back like Hinata's. He was surprised she wore it down like that. It was something she always hated to do. TenTen shook her head, "I don't care if he's here. We're training remember? We can't be so angry when we go home. Sakura will be pissed."

Hinata only shook her head in sadness. "But what if Naruto shows up?"

TenTen glared at the other Hyuuga who was openly gawking at her. "Who cares?"

TenTen reached forward to lunge at Hinata when Neji snapped to her side and pulled on her arm, tugging her towards him. She snarled when both his arms wrapped around her, "Hey! What the hell's the big idea? Let go of me!"

Neji buried his nose in her hair and inhaled her scent. He felt his body relax around her as she pounded against his chest. Hinata stood there with a small frown on her face. "Neji-san...let go of her."

He looked up but didn't release the violent weapon's mistress. Neji watched his cousin stare at him blankly instead of stuttering and blushing much like she used to. He also realized she didn't call him Nii-san like she used to. "Do you have any idea how bad you hurt Naruto?"

TenTen screamed against his chest, "Do you have any idea how much you all fucked up?"

He refused to believe he was the one at fault here. He would get to the bottom of this before she escaped from his grasp. Unlike Shikamaru and Sasuke, he refused to believe this situation and let her run away from him again. He had so many unanswered questions and anger. He squeezed her tighter, "How did I did I screw up TenTen? We were on a mission when you left. There's-"

"Hinata-chan…"

The three froze and Hinata turned her attention to the blonde walking slowly next to Neji. Naruto stared wide-eyed at the lavender haired girl standing a few feet away from him. He ran his eyes over her body, his mind going numb. Was that really his sweet beautiful Hinata standing right in front of him?

She didn't blush and only wrapped her arms around herself as she stared at the energetic blonde. "Ohayo Naruto-san."

Neji raised an eyebrow…Naruto-san? Now he knew something was wrong. Hinata was never this cold, especially towards Naruto. Neji let his grip slightly loosen on TenTen. The brown hair girl pounded on his chest, angry tears leaking from the corners of her eyes, "Let me go you asshole! Stop touching me!"

Reluctantly, he let her go and she jumped away next to Hinata. TenTen shook her head and looked at her companion, "We need to get back soon."

Hinata nodded, "I know, Aki is probably waiting for us. It's our turn tonight."

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed at the name. Was that the guy Sakura had been kissing the other night? He felt his chakra stir and his blood felt on fire. He was consumed with jealousy and anger, "Hinata…"

Neji sneered and crossed his arms, "Who the hell is Aki? Is he the guy Sakura was with the other night?"

She didn't spare him a glance. She kept her eyes trained on TenTen who was speaking some hushed words. Neji quickly jumped over to Naruto and looped his arms through his and held on to him. He could see the fox's chakra stabbing at his face and his eyes starting to change into a red color. "Naruto!"

Hinata and TenTen finally looked over. The lavender haired girl didn't smile, but whimpered. She would hate herself for this later…but she knew it was the only way to calm him down. "Naruto-kun." The blonde instantly calmed and looked up at the girls. They were both staring blankly at the two boys. TenTen grabbed Hinata's arm, "Come on."

They were about to leap off when Naruto lunged forward and grabbed the Hyuuga and pulled her roughly into his arms. Hinata stood stiff in his embrace as he growled into her ear much like he used to do when she was upset. "Hinata-chan, I've missed you so much."

Hinata felt her control wane. Tears leaked from her eyes as the familiar warmth of Naruto surrounded her. It felt wrong, but so right to be back here, hugging him. She opened her mouth to speak when she was hit with ingrained memories of him and another woman together in their own bed. She roughly pushed him away and moved her hands to her eyes. "No Naruto."

Naruto stood there in shock. He raised his hand to stoke her soft hair. "Why? What did I do? Why did you leave?"

Hinata shook his hand off and kept her hand extended outwards to keep him from moving closer. "You broke me Naruto. I can't do this anymore."

The blonde whimpered and towered over his petite love. He kept his hand extended out to her. "Hina-chan, please."

Hinata finally snapped at the nickname and turned to TenTen, who pulled her into a hug. The violent weapons mistress glared at the two boys. "Just because we're back in the village does not mean you get to snap at us and question us."

Neji grit his teeth and glared at his longtime lover and friend, "If all would tell us what made you leave in the first place, we wouldn't be in this situation!" TenTen glared right back at Neji, "If you had thought about your actions then we wouldn't have left." She peered over at her companion who was softly crying in her arms, "We're going now."

Neji and Naruto looked at each once before dashing forward to grab them. There was no way they were leaving without an explanation. TenTen grit her teeth, "Shit." She let Hinata go and sent a flurry of kunai at them, halting them in their path as they darted around the massive amount of weapons. TenTen formed the hands signs for teleportation and grabbed Hinata at the last second. The two disappeared, leaving wisps of smoke behind them. Naruto fell to his knees, "Hinata! Hinata…"

Neji stared at the last spot TenTen had been in. Never had she attacked him out of spite. This was the first time in a long time that he had absolutely no response to her actions. He fell down next to Naruto who was punching the ground. Blood collected around the blonde's knuckles. "Dammit! What the hell did I do? Why did she have to cry?"

Neji sighed and fell back onto his back. He clenched his fist and peered up at the evening sky. It was now official. The four girls of the rookie 12 were back in Konoha, and they had changed while they were away. He looked over at Naruto who was slumped over, containing the urge to not scream and yell to the heavens. Neji sighed, "Naruto."

The blonde looked over at the brown haired shinobi in silence. Neji sat up, "They're back. They're safe and they're home."

Naruto chuckled, "Now all we have to do is convince them that they were wrong."

For once Neji smirked and nodded at the future Hokage. He stood, "Come on."

Naruto stood, "Where to?"

"Shikamaru and Sasuke's. We're figuring this out before they vanish from our sight again."

The two took off then and there, hoping that all four of them would be able to figure this out.

WITH TENTEN AND HINATA:

The two girls piled through the door, breathless and shaking. TenTen punched the wall next to her, wincing when her fist went through the wood. Ino shrieked from the kitchen, "TenTen! I just repaired that!"

"Shush Ino. I'm too pissed to care."

The two girls fell into the kitchen, staring at Ino who was at the table. A cup of tea was in her hands and she was holding her head. Hinata sat down next to the blonde, "Are you okay?"

Ino shook her head, "I ran into Shikamaru."

TenTen grunted, "Not really surprising. We ran into Neji and Naruto." Ino chuckled, "We won't be able to avoid them for long."

Hinata shook her head, "Where's Sakura-chan?"

Said pink haired girl walked into the kitchen with a grin. "Trouble I take it?"

The three only nodded when Sakura sat down to join them. Hinata looked up, "How's Aki?"

Sakura sighed, "He's better. Poor guy just doesn't want to get out of bed. I'm going to take him to see Tsunade-sama tomorrow. She's been bugging me to introduce him anyway."

The four girls went quiet. Sakura looked around at her three best friends with a concerned look. "You've seen them haven't you?"

Hinata nodded. "They all claim they have no idea why we left."

The pinkette grabbed at her head. This wasn't good. Not only were they all denying their actions, they had found each girl in such a short amount of time. It was only a short amount of time before Sasuke would find her and she didn't look forward to that day. Unlike her friends, she had something that she couldn't hide from Sasuke in the village. Sakura winced when she heard a crash upstairs and a whimper. She stood and went to the entrance of the kitchen, "I guess there's no more running is there?"

Ino stood up, "We're here Sakura. You don't need to worry about the Uchiha."

Sakura just chuckled and walked from the room. As much as she wanted to believe that, she had the feeling he would seek her out soon and their meeting would not be pretty. She walked the stairs slowly; hoping for all the strength she had that her life would not tumble down again just as it had four years ago.

**AN: Kind of a cliffy? It's been awhile, but the next chapter is the one I've wanted to write for a long time! Until next time! Review! **


	6. Face To Face

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters! The plot for this story is mine!

**AN: Finally! The chapter I've been dying to write! I'm going to attempt to get this story, Naruto the Matchmaker, Fated Passion and Her Silver Bells updated this weekend since I have Monday off. Wish me luck! Enjoy and Review everyone!**

TWO DAYS LATER:

Naruto grumbled in his spot at Ichiraku's, his tongue sticking out as he ran a pen across multiple sheets of paper. Shikamaru and Neji sat across from him, eagerly making their inputs and talking out the facts from four years ago. Sasuke silently brooded in his spot next to Naruto, his arms crossed and a scowl imprinted on his face.

Shikamaru scratched his head, "What mission were we on again? It's been so long."

Naruto bit the end of his pen and looked down at the papers. The ANBU shinobi shrugged, "I only remember it was for two months."

The brown haired shinobi with silver eyes nodded. He pulled out the letters he had received from TenTen during that mission and pointed at the dates. "The last letter I received from her was one week prior to when we returned. In this letter, she sounded happy and eagerly waiting for us to return."

"So it had to be during that week before we came home."

Sasuke grunted, "This is stupid. You're wasting your time. They're not back."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Teme, you're going to eat your words when you see Sakura soon!"

The Uchiha only glared at his friend before slumping in his seat. He didn't see the point in why his three friends were attempting to dig into the past. It only brought up scorching memories that he already thought about on a daily basis. He couldn't fathom how they would figure out why they left if they didn't know what was happening in the village at the time. Neji pointed to one of the letters Sasuke had brought unwillingly. "Sasuke…this letter. When did you receive it?"

Sasuke thought back. "It had to be about a week and a half before we returned. Why? What does it matter?"

The three shinobi stared wide-eyed at the raven haired shinobi. "Have you read it?"

"Of course I have."

Naruto snatched it and read it once to himself. How could he miss this? "Sasuke. Read it again."

Irritated, the Uchiha snatched the paper and held it front of his eyes, reading the words he had received from her. His eyes widened at the part he missed completely. There had been an end note after her letter that he must've missed. It looked as if it had been added at a later time.

_Dear Sasuke-kun,_

_I hope your mission is going well and that everyone's doing okay! Tell that Knucklehead Naruto that he better not screw anything up. Sasy! I have some huge news for you! I don't want to spoil it here because I want to see your face when I tell you! So hurry up and get home! My shifts at the hospital are going fine and no…Tsunade-sama isn't overworking me. I know how worried you get about me, but I'm fine! I swear! Hurry home to me Sasuke, I miss you._

_Love always,_

_Cherry Blossom._

_P.S. This will have to be short, but I have a few things to speak with you about when you return. There have been a few problems in the village about you. It's not too bad yet. Please hurry home._

_-Sakura_

Sasuke looked up, completely baffled. Why had he not read her endnote? How had he missed it? He looked up at his friends who were staring at him with confused eyes. Naruto nudged him, "What do you think it means?"

Sasuke put the letter down and shook his head. Could he have prevented her leaving if he had read that last part when he got this letter? Would she still have left him? "I do not know."

The four looked outside to see the sun lazily making it way over to the western sky. Naruto grinned. He was in a much better mood knowing that Hinata was alive and alright. He was confident that he could fix whatever problem they had. He narrowed down when it had occurred, now all he needed was information. "Let's go to the training grounds guys. We can figure out more there!"

Without waiting for any of them to respond he jumped up and collected the papers, slipping the pen behind his ear. The three followed the energetic blonde into the streets. Sasuke grit his teeth when a flash of pink caught his eye. He stopped and looked around, waiting to see what his imagination was trying to see. Shikamaru stopped, "What is it Sasuke?"

He shrugged when he couldn't find anything. "Hn, nothing."He increased his pace to catch up with the group. He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground when girls began to point and yell his name. He despised how each girl could so blindly flock for his attention. Sakura was the only woman for him and that would not change.

The four finally made their way into the training grounds and sat down by the tree team 7 used to meet at. Sasuke sat down and shut his eyes, intent on trying to rid his mind of his lover. His three friends continued their conversation, arguing about the events occurring in the village when they were away on a mission.

"I remember Hinata telling me that Temari had been in town while we were gone, but I don't know how it can be translated into what Ino saw." Naruto said while chewing on his pen. Shikamaru sighed and fell onto his back. "If it helps, I can remember a huge festival that Tsunade-sama threw. The harvest festival if I remember correctly."

Neji grunted, "At least you knew why Ino left, TenTen wouldn't even tell me."

Sasuke snorted, "They're not back. Stop obsessing over this and move on." The three didn't pay him any mind and continued their debate. Sasuke moved to stand and leave when he heard a giggle. He looked around the training ground and froze in his spot. The other three looked up to when the gaggle of giggles increased. Across the field, you could see blurs of different colors running in different directions and soft laughter as one girl chased the others. Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes. Ino, Tenten and Hinata were there in front of him, proving his friend's words to be correct. Naruto got to his feet and pointed, "I told you teme! See!"

The other two stood as well, "Where's Sakura?"

Sasuke didn't wait to hear an answer. He flickered over to Ino's side and grabbed her arm, pulling her to him. The blonde looked at him blankly, as if she was expecting this to happen. "Uchiha."

He nodded coldly at her, "Yamanaka."

She wiggled his arm out of his grasp and stood to face him. TenTen and Hinata appeared by her sides, with concerned faces. The three boys had just shown up behind Sasuke when Ino raised an eyebrow, "What's up boys?"

Sasuke kept his face imprinted with a scowl. "Sakura, where is she?"

TenTen rolled her eyes, "As if we'd tell you that."

Naruto grabbed onto the Uchiha's shoulder to keep him from lunging at the violent weapons mistress. Sasuke opened up his mouth to talk when he heard a tiny giggle approaching. His eyes went wide when a boy no older then the age of 4 rushed into Ino's legs and held onto her tightly. He didn't spare the four men a glance and smiled up at the blonde. "Aunti Ino! You're it!"

The girls looked at each other before Ino bent down to scoop him into her arms. She pulled his tiny face to hers, "Aki, we told you to go play on the swings."

He looked up at her with guilty eyes, "I wanted to play with you!"

Sasuke stared at the little boy now holding onto Ino for dear life. His black hair fell in soft spikes over the back of his head and he had tiny bangs on each side of his face. The boy had dark green eyes and a little nose. His forehead wasn't large and he had an accented jawline. The eyes reminded him of Sakura's. Shikamaru stood in silence at the boy, "Ino…is he?"

Ino turned her glare to the four men. "No, he's not mine."

Naruto couldn't believe it. The boy looked like a mini Sasuke. "Teme…"

"Ino! TenTen! Hinata!"

TenTen turned to see a glob of Pink hair heading their way. She shook her head, "No!" Sakura hadn't seen the four boys on her way to catch up with the girls. Sasuke turned his attention from the boy in Ino's arms to the girl steadily approaching them. To say he was shocked was only putting it mildly. He felt as if he was having an out of body experience as his beloved approached the group. She stopped dead in her tracks when she caught his stare. Her eyes went wide, "Sas-Sasuke."

For the first time in four years, he smirked. "Sakura." He flickered to her side and embraced her tightly. He felt whole again. No matter how much she wiggled in his arms, he kept his grip tight. He didn't know if this was a dream, and if it was he didn't want to wake up. "Kami Sakura, I can't believe it."

The group behind them stood in silence, waiting for the reaction about to occur. Sasuke leaned back to look at the Pinkette's face. No one expected the next reaction out of Sakura.

_Slap!_

Sasuke gingerly lifted his hand to his cheek, hissing at the force she had put behind her slap. In turn, he had let her go and she moved back a few feet, her eyes lit with fire as she glared at the Uchiha. "Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me."

Sasuke glared at his beloved, "What the hell was that for?"

Sakura shook her head. "For being a fucking asshole and abandoning me, that's what."

His veins were on fire with arousal and need. He had forgotten how turned on he was when Sakura was angry with him. He let his hand drop and he frowned at the Pinkette. She sneered at him, "Fuck off Uchiha."

Sasuke grit his teeth, "Where the hell have you been?"

"Away from you, isn't it obvious?"

He didn't like this cold and unfeeling Sakura. The Sakura he knew wouldn't act like this towards him. He observed her, and noticed the way she had matured. Her chakra was cold and strong; much like how his used to be upon his return to the hidden leaf. He stepped forward towards her but stopped when a tiny voice rang out. "Mama!"

The little boy in Ino's arms struggled to be released and once on the ground rushed for Sakura. She kneeled and let him fall into her arms. Her face changed from one of anger and accusation to love and warmth. "Mama's here Aki."

The Uchiha snarled as he watched the interaction between the mother and son. Did Sakura really have a child with another man? Didn't she know even if she wasn't with him for years that she still belonged to him? He resisted the urge to strangle someone for touching what was his. "I fucking betrayed you? Who's the one who went off and got knocked up by a fucking stranger?"

Sakura hadn't wanted it to happen like this. She was too pissed to care now. Sakura's voice was laced with venom, "You're crossing a line you don't want to cross Uchiha."

His anger blinded him from seeing the obvious fact in front of him. "Me? How the hell can you say that when you were the one who left me! You were mine!"

The girls flickered to Sakura's side. They didn't want this to get out of hand. Sakura was about to snap back at the Uchiha when Aki tugged on her shirt. Aki stared up at his mother, "Uchiha?"

The group was silent as Sakura sighed and looked at her son. Naruto looked to his other friends to see them stunned with silence. This situation just got more screwed up. "Yes honey…Uchiha." She put him down and let him stand in front of her. She glared the Uchiha down, "Sasuke…this is Aki."

"What of him?"

She took in a deep breath and watched Sasuke's face turn from one of anger to confusion and shock. "Aki, meet your father…Sasuke Uchiha."

**AN: Hehehe, so? What'd you think? Remember to review! I'll post the next chapter soon! Until next time!**


	7. Burning Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters! The plot for this story is mine!

**AN: Well, I kind of threw you all a curveball last chapter. This chapter is going to have a flashback to explain why Sakura and Ino left! Enjoy and Review! **

Sasuke stood in shock as he gazed at the small child standing in front of Sakura. The park was silent and tense as both groups stared at one another. Finally Sakura sighed and kneeled down, "Go Aki."

She gently pushed him forward until the little boy stood in front of Sasuke. She could see the surprise in Sasuke's eyes instead of the anger and sadness they held before. The boy looked up in fear at the older Uchiha before turning to look at his mother. She kept kneeling on her knees and looked sternly at him. "Aki…"

He turned back to Sasuke who looked as if he were about to faint. The older Uchiha could now see the resemblance between him and child from the face and hair, but the eyes belonged to Sakura. Aki stared, "Otosan?"

Sasuke's eyes widened and he looked back at Sakura who was glaring at him. He knew she would snap if he said anything out of line in front of the child. Is this why she left? Did she think he wouldn't have wanted the child? Sasuke looked back down when Aki tugged on his pant leg and looked up with shining curiosity, "Are you really my daddy?"

Sasuke could barely speak as he shook his head. Aki smiled widely and hugged Sasuke's leg. "Otosan! I've missed you!"

Sasuke tugged his leg out of Aki's grip and dropped to his knees. Sakura watched as Sasuke wrapped his arms around the small boy, holding him close. She softly smiled, always having known that Sasuke would never turn away someone of his own blood.

The Uchiha was having a hard time believing that he was a father, to Sakura's child no less. He felt enraged that she hid him away for years. That was time as a family he missed out on. That was time of father bonding and loved he missed. He released Aki and patted his head, "Daddy missed you too."

Aki watched as the raven-haired shinobi stood. He looked at Sakura who finally stood up as well. She smirked, "Shall we?"

He pointed to the tree line and watched her nod to Ino before making her way towards the trees. He followed after patting Aki's head again and following after Sakura. When the two were out of earshot of the group, Sasuke shoved her against a tree and pinned her there with his hands. His sharingan blazed, "You kept my own fucking son from me? For four years? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

She punched him in the chest, snickering when he pulled away, "I did what I had to do to protect him from your foolish actions Uchiha."

Sasuke glared. He was fuming. This situation just got a whole lot uglier and he wasn't about to let her get away again. He was pissed she was still accusing him of making him leave. He moved closer to her, "What the hell did I do?"

Sakura clenched her fists, "Don't play stupid Sasuke. You know exactly what you did."

He hissed through clenched teeth, "No I don't. Why don't you fucking explain it to me so I won't go on a fucking rampage! You kept my son from me! You left me with no explanation! What the fuck am I supposed to think Sakura?"

She raised an eyebrow. She figured that he would loose his cool and actually talk if she kept irritating him like this. She could hear Aki asking Ino for his parents. She crossed her arms and leaned against the tree, letting Sasuke punch the one across from her. She patiently waited for him to cool down. She looked down to see a ring on his finger. "I see."

He looked back at her, "See what?"

She tried to remain composed, but her eyes gave away the pain she felt. She looked up in anger at the Uchiha, "You really want to know why I left?"

He nodded. She sighed, "You were away on a mission…"

_Sakura rubbed her stomach as she made her way to the hospital in the early evening. She had just found out that she was two months pregnant with Sasuke's child. She slowly whistled and kept her pace, obliviously ignoring the looks and gossip occurring around her. She looked to see Ino approaching her, her eyes rimmed in red tears. Sakura stopped and let Ino fall into her arms, her eyes widening at the display her friend was showing. "Ino, what happened?" _

"_Sakura…Shikamaru-he-he-Temari…" Sakura could gather from the loud sobs that whatever Shikamaru had done killed Ino inside. "Where?" _

"_Village over." _

_Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. Wasn't Shikamaru on a mission with Sasuke and the rest? Come to think of it, hadn't TenTen and Hinata told her some of the same things earlier this week? She pulled Ino up, and tugged her with her down the street. "Show me where you saw this."_

_She let Ino lead the way as she thought back about the past week. Strange rumors had been circulating in the village about the Uchiha that she had readily ignored. The elders were known to put their dislike out for him, but some of the things being said had frightened her. _

_Sakura had never been to the village to the east, but had never heard anything good about. Rouge ninja tended to use it as a spot to stay and play around in. She could remember doing a few assassination missions here a year ago. She and Ino quickly masked their chakra and entered the village, taking care to stay together. "Where did you see him?" _

_Ino pointed to the nightclub up ahead and Sakura grimaced. She wasn't exactly thrilled to feel her friends and teammates chakra here, but she was more ticked to feel Sasuke's. His aura was off the chart and happy, something she hadn't felt from him in a while. Sakura pulled Ino inside the club and made her stay by the entrance. "Teleport back now. When I see what's going on, I will too." _

_She watched Ino blankly nod and weave the hand-signs to teleport back to their main village. Sakura looked around and was disgusted to see Shikamaru on a couch with a drunken Temari hanging over him. She had half of mind to go over to him and punch him for hurting Ino. _

_She didn't have to look far to see Naruto and Neji hanging off of a couple of girls, one that had her lips attached to Naruto's neck. She would wring said neck later. Weren't these four supposed to be on a mission away from fire country? She was tempted to report this to Tsunade for the trouble they were causing. Sakura found herself at a stairway, leading up to a couple of private rooms. She could hear grunts and moans from a slightly ajar door just beyond the stairwell. Moving her hand over her stomach, she moved up the stairs slowly. _

_Sakura felt her stomach churn as she recognized the grunts and low moans coming from the room. Her heart fell as she made it to the last step and walked the few feet to the door. Her heart completely snapped in two seeing a naked Sasuke slamming in and out of a drunken Karin. She had witnessed their high climax and he had fallen onto her chest, curling around her body. Her mind couldn't handle what she was seeing. This had to be a genjutsu. There was no way Sasuke would cheat on her. Her ears caught some of their conversation. _

"_I can't tell you how long I've waited for this." _

"_Really Sasuke-kun? You've wanted me?" _

_She watched him nuzzle her neck, "Hai. For the longest time." _

"_But what about Sakura-san? Didn't you want to marry her?" _

_She swore that she saw him make eye contact with her in the hall. "No Karin, I want you to marry me." The smirk that crossed his face is what set Sakura off. Hearing Karin's loud screams of 'yes' and 'I accept' rang in her ears as she weaved the teleportation jutsu and made her way back to her home. The moment she appeared in her living room, she fell to her knees, her tough girl façade breaking as tears streamed down her face. What had she done to drive him away? What did she do to make him cheat on her? Why did it have to be after she found she was pregnant? Blow after blow hit her and she fell to the ground, her sobs slow and loud. She continually punched the ground, berating herself for making him leave the way he did. _

Sasuke stared in shock as Sakura finished her story. She grabbed her arm and looked away from him. "A week later, Tsunade-sama sent us away, knowing that nothing she could do would fix what had happened. She knew that me being pregnant would complicate things."

He was silent as she continued, "So she sent us to live with the daimyo, until we were ready to come back. Aki had been asking about you and I knew it was time to come home and face everything."

Sasuke could barely hear her. Her story couldn't be true. He had never been to that village. He could account for every place he had been on that mission. He could feel the hurt and anger radiating off her. "Aki…did you give him my name?"

Sakura shook her head. "People would realize he was an Uchiha. I had no choice." He let his shoulders slump. Maybe he could fix things with her. He opened his mouth to speak when she beat him to it. "So how's the married life?"

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. She pointed to his finger. "You obviously wanted her. So, is it what you wanted?"

He spoke with confidence. Surely she would believe him if he denied it. "I'm not married Sakura, I never cheated on you."

She narrowed her eyes, "You're a fucking liar Uchiha. I saw it with my own god damn eyes."

"Well you were wrong because I never did what you are saying I did."

He watched her eyes darken. She approached him and grabbed the collar of his shirt, "Dammit Uchiha, I know what I fucking saw! That memory has been burned into my head for the past four fucking years. Everyday I thought about you and everyday you continued to hurt me! I may have given you a son, but you're damned if you think you get any fucking say in how he's raised or what I do as a parent!" She released him and started to walk away. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him, "Dammit Sakura, don't you fucking walk away from me."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't."

"The only reason I wore this was for you. I was going to propose the night I returned from my mission, but you were already gone without even letting me fucking defend myself. I wore it because I knew you would come back to me."

She ripped her wrist from his grip, "Not good enough Uchiha."

He grabbed at his hair, "What the hell do I have to do to make you see I never did this Sakura? I loved you and I still do. I could've moved on while you were gone but I didn't. I didn't change for you."

She didn't turn around to face him. Instead she stared out at the field where her friends and son were waiting for her. "I may be back Sasuke, but I have changed. I'm not the same woman anymore and if you think for a second that I'll drop my own beliefs and memories just for your words is bullshit. You can see and bond with your son, but that's it. Nothing more."

She took a few steps before Sasuke leapt for her and tugged her back. He smashed his lips onto hers, his cold ones massaging her warm ones. She barely had time to process what had happened before his tongue slipped into her mouth, roaming around the territory he used to claim as his. She violently bit his tongue and shoved him away. "I said, don't fucking touch me."

He saw his chance slipping away. This new changed Sakura wouldn't give him the time of day to explain himself. "Sakura, dammit. Why can't you believe me?"

A tear slipped down from her eye, "Because, if you had truly loved me, you would've come after me despite being forbidden to do so."

Sasuke watched with a hand outstretched as she walked away from him. She ran and picked up his son, hoisting him in her arms as the four girls took off the opposite way. Naruto watched Sasuke fall to his knees, his eyes showing the blank and cold expression of a dead man.

**AN: So? What'd you all think? Not too boring I hope! I have a major headache and wanted to get this posted so forgive me if I missed spelling or grammar errors. Tell me what you want to see! Review! **


	8. Mountain Retreat

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters! The plot for this story is mine!

**AN: It's been awhile right? I'm juggling 6 stories now! I've also had major writer's block so I do so apologize for the long update. It's a bit of filler, but I'm going to start easing the two together! Enjoy this chapter and review! **

TWO DAYS LATER:

'_Where's my sake? I'm going to need it after all of this damn arguing.' _

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched as she listened to Naruto's rambling and Sasuke's shouts. She held her forehead as Aki bounced in her lap and Sakura stood behind her, facing the window. The girls were interspersed throughout the room as was Neji and Shikamaru.

"Baa-san! You have to hear us out! You made a mistake! Aki deserves to be with his father! You shouldn't have let them leave!"

Aki looked up at the older blonde with wide green eyes, "Mistake?"

Tsunade chuckled and leaned back in her chair, "I do not make mistakes Naruto."

Sasuke slammed his hand down on the desk, "You did this time."

A chakra infused punch came directed at the hand lying on Tsunade's desk. Sasuke jumped back and glared at Sakura. She glared right back. "Watch your attitude Uchiha."

Neji snorted in his spot and continued to stare at TenTen. The girl ignored him in favor of looking over some old scrolls. Tsunade sighed. She had not been looking forward to this day. There was simply too much confusion now that a child was involved. Sasuke held his glare. "He deserves the Uchiha name. He is part of the clan and should have his birthright recognized."

Sakura and Ino snorted. "Pretty arrogant don't you think Sasuke?"

Tsunade felt her head start to throb. Sakura's temper was just as bad as hers. "I don't give a damn about his clan birthright. I've raised him, therefore he will have my surname."

"If you wouldn't have left we wouldn't be having this damn debate Sakura."

"Well if you hadn't have acted like a jackass and screwed up my life we wouldn't be here either! It's your damn fault Sasuke!"

"Woman, I am never at fault."

"Prick."

"Bitch."

Tsunade felt a vein burst. She stood up with a confused Aki in her arms, "ENOUGH!"

Everyone in the room froze. The tension between the two battling parents grew in the stubborn silence. Tsunade handed Aki to Sakura who immediately set him on the ground. "Uchiha and Sakura you stay. Everyone else leave."

Sakura narrowed her eyes but let Ino take Aki's hand and take him outside before shoving Shikamaru away from her. Once the door clicked shut Tsunade sat in her seat and sighed. Sakura stood by her side, her eyes shut and her arms crossed. When the room grew quiet again Tsunade removed a scroll from her desk. She held it in her hands for a moment before looking up at the confused Uchiha. Sakura grit her teeth and looked away from the quiet shinobi across the room.

Tsunade sighed, "Sakura, hear the boy out. Aki should…"

Sakura hissed in her spot and crossed her arms. "Like hell I'll give him the-"

"Silence Sakura. You are not thinking clearly."

The room grew quiet and Tsunade wished dearly for her jug of sake to clam her nerves. She had to get them alone so they could reconnect. She would not lose a precious kunoichi again. She started out slowly, "I know there is bad blood between the two of you…"

Sasuke and Sakura snorted in unison. Tsunade could feel her eye twitch as she continued. "And to rid the hostility between you two I'm sending you on a mission."

Sakura was taken aback. "Shishou…you know I refuse to be alone with that bastard."

Tsunade silenced her apprentice with a glare. "This is no normal mission. This is a family mission, one the two of you cannot refuse." The Hokage stood from her seat and removed another scroll from the bookshelf across the room. The couple remained quiet and watched the older blonde quietly mull over the details of how she could solve their problems.

Sasuke finally broke the silence and crossed his arms. "Family mission?"

"Hai. I'm sending the two of you on a mountain retreat. You will take Aki with you and the two of you will work out your differences for the sake of him."

Sakura shook with fury. How could her beloved master send her away with the damned Uchiha? There was no way she was leaving this village alone with him. Sasuke smirked in his spot and glanced at Sakura. He was thanking whatever Kami there was above that he was given this chance to prove his innocence and spend some time with his son.

Tsunade turned back around and tossed the other scroll to Sasuke. He easily caught it in one hand and held it at his side. "How long Hokage-sama?"

"A month. No less and no more. I want a decision on the boys future upon your return."

Sakura could barely contain her anger. She glared at the wall letting her master's words sink in. Tsunade waved to the Uchiha. "You leave tonight so go and pack."

Sasuke nodded blankly before turning to Sakura. "I will meet you outside your home in an hour."

The Pinkette didn't respond and continued to look away from the Uchiha. Frustrated, he left the room in a hurry eager to pack and think out a plan. Sakura shook when Tsunade closed her arms around the girl. "Sakura, do not let your anger blind you."

"Shishou…"

"He needs a father and I understand you dislike the Uchiha brat but he obviously wants to mend that relationship."

Sakura sighed and let her shoulders slump. She didn't know if she would be able to handle a month alone with Sasuke. He would obviously to try convince her that she had been wrong 4 years ago when she knew she was right in everything she saw. "Do I have a choice?"

"You need to let this anger go. For your son and for yourself."

Sakura stood there silently as Tsunade stepped away from her and the door opened. Aki slipped into the room and ran to his mother's side his eyes bright with excitement. "Mama! Otou said we're going on a trip! Is it true?"

Sakura looked down at the boy before nodding once. A smile crossed his face and he hugged her leg. Sakura leaned down and scooped up the boy into her arms. He wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his little face into her long hair. Sakura looked at Tsunade, "A month?"

The Hokage nodded and leaned against her desk. Sakura turned to leave quickly knowing she couldn't deny her own teacher. She was just about to step out when Tsunade yelled out one last thing. "Keep an open mind Sakura."

Knowing she was watching, she merely shook her head and hurried outside, holding her little boy close in the early evening. Aki babbled quietly as Sakura walked along the sidewalk to the house she shared with Ino, TenTen and Hinata. Her eyes widened when Aki removed his side from her shoulder and looked up at her. "Mama? Do you not like Otou?"

Sakura sighed and kept walking. "Otou's fine honey."

"Auntie Ino said you used to love Otou."

The kunoichi grit her teeth. She had never dared to put down Sasuke as a person or a father in front of Aki despite her anger towards her former teammate. She often told him stories of team 7 and their strange perverted teacher. To say Aki was full of curiosity with knowing who Sasuke was putting it mildly. The boy was obsessed with him. He had been up all night when he met his father two days ago his little body full of excitement and happiness.

"Mama doesn't know how to feel around Otou."

Aki was quiet for a moment watching the sidewalk and village around him. Sakura held him tighter, hoping he wouldn't ask any more questions about her emotions and thoughts of Sasuke. She was so lucky and Aki played with her hair and spoke quietly, "Do you love Otou mama?"

Sakura felt her heart lurch inside her chest. Tears gathered in her eyes and she stopped walking. Aki frowned, "Why are you crying mama?"

His little finger reached out and wiped away the tears falling off her chin. She weakly smiled at her son and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Mama's confused sweetie. But it's going to be alright."

Before Aki had a chance to respond Sakura took off walking again, running up the walk to her home. She let him down at the door and watched him take off into the living room. Sakura trudged into the kitchen and plopped down next to her best friends. Ino frowned, "What did Tsunade-sama want?"

"She's sending me, Aki and Sasuke on a month long mountain retreat to work out our issues."

Hinata patted the pinkette's shoulder. "Didn't she give you the option to decline?"

"It's Tsunade…what do you expect?"

"Man! I told you we shouldn't have come back! They're ruining everything we worked so hard to build."

Sakura only nodded before standing and retreating to pack her and Aki's belongings. Ino gripped her mug of tea tightly. "This isn't fair."

The violent weapons mistress leaned back in her seat and glared out the window. She could hardly forget the argument she had with Neji just moments after leaving the Hokage's office. She sure as hell was not going to tell him why she left when he knew what he did to piss her off. Naruto had been close to trapping Hinata into a corner before Sasuke had come out and distracted the men.

"Are we next? Do you think Tsunade-sama will do something like this for each of us?"

TenTen let a kunai slip from her hand. "I don't care what the old woman says. Hell will freeze over before I let Neji believe he's right."

Ino sighed once more and looked up when she heard a knock at the door. She barely stood before Aki raced to the door and flung it open. He grinned and lunged at Sasuke on the doorstep. "Otou!"

Sasuke hugged the boy in return and picked him up into his arms. Sasuke felt his pride surge as Aki hugged him close and related how excited he was to be going on a trip. Ino leaned against the kitchen wall as Sasuke stepped through the threshold and shut the door behind him. His smirk fell from his face when he noticed three glares from the kitchen. "How did you find out where we live?"

"Shikamaru."

Ino cussed under her breath. "Damn him."

TenTen stood and walked over to the two. She smiled at Aki before patting his head, "Aki why don't you go help Mama pack?"

Sasuke begrudgingly set the small boy down and watched him race up the steps to help Sakura. He then turned his attention to the three women in front of him. His face was blank as he stared at them. "Yes?"

TenTen twirled a kunai between her fingers. "Did you put Tsunade up to this?"

He narrowed his eyes. "No."

Ino poked his cheek, "Then why is she so adamant on having you two together now?"

"Hn, because of the boy."

Before TenTen could retort back about his hidden plans and stupid plans, Aki and Sakura trailed down the steps. Aki raced to Sasuke's side once more and bounced up and down. Sakura sighed, "This is going to be a long month."

Sasuke stared but refused to say anything to her sarcastic remark. He grabbed Aki's hand, "Shall we go?"

She hugged her three best friends before going to the door. "Good luck."

Ino nodded, "We'll all need it."

Sakura reached for Aki's open hand and grabbed it, letting Sasuke lead the three out the door. Aki bounced in between the two adults who were dressed in normal civilian clothing. Sasuke looked over at Sakura, "Let me carry your things."

"I can handle that myself thank you."

Sasuke glared but said nothing in return. The two nodded at the jounin standing outside the gates of the village. Sakura stopped and unraveled the scroll Tsunade had given her earlier. "It's east of here. Should only take us a few hours to reach if we run."

Sasuke grunted and squeezed Aki's hand. "We could take the mountain trail that's lighted as well."

Aki tugged on Sasuke's jacket, "Can I ride on your back Otou? Please?"

Sasuke looked at Sakura for permission. She sighed and nodded her head, watching Sasuke lean down and help the boy onto his back. Sakura picked up Sasuke's bag and threw it on her back, letting Sasuke take off on the trail with Aki hanging around his neck. It wasn't long before they reached the small Inn and spa located just outside the hidden leaf. The three stumbled into the small waiting area where the hostess grinned. "Uchiha family correct?"

Sasuke slapped his hand over Sakura's mouth before she had the chance to correct the girl. "Yes, Is our room ready? My wife and son are extremely tired."

"Of course Uchiha-sama, if you would follow me."

They were quickly ushered to their room and left alone to unpack.

Sakura glared at the lone bed in the middle of the room where Sasuke was letting Aki off his back. The door shut and Sakura glared at Sasuke. "Wife?"

He remained unfazed at her anger. He held Aki shrug off his tiny jacket and helped the boy onto the ground. He watched him scamper off to the bathroom and shut the door. "That's what you would be had you not left me so many years ago."

"That does not give you any right to call me your wife right now."

He smirked at her flushed face, "You know you like the sound of it Sakura. The blush is evident on your face."

Sakura huffed and turned around to face the door. She gasped when Sasuke appeared behind her and turned her around. He held his face close to hers and looked into her shocked emerald eyes. He was desperate to find some sign of the old Sakura, one who wasn't so cold and unfeeling. His hands caressed her back and he tried to keep any distance between them minimal. She put her hand on his chest and tried to shove him away. "Move Uchiha."

"No. This trip is for us so we can talk. I will fix this now."

"There is nothing to fix. You screwed up and I left. It's done."

Sasuke didn't hear her. He would use the month he had alone with her to prove that she belonged with him. He would make her see that she had been wrong all along. He moved his hand into his jacket pocket and removed a tiny object. "No Sakura, you belong to me. You will see that soon."

The Pinkette gasped quietly when she felt cool metal on her finger. She looked down at her ring finger, shocked to find a small round pink diamond on a silver band resting around her finger. She looked up at Sasuke with shocked eyes. "What is this? I cannot be bought with jewelry Sasuke."

"This was the ring I was going to propose to you with. I want you Sakura and if I have to wait so be it. You will be my wife by the end of this mission willingly."

It sounded so demanding and Sakura couldn't deny that she was completely flustered. She was grateful for Aki rushing out and attaching himself to Sasuke's leg. She watched as Sasuke took him into his arms and smirked. "Shall we head to bed? I bet Mama is tired."

"Hai!"

She watched Sasuke move to lay Aki in the middle of the bed, and she couldn't fight the small smile watching Sasuke tuck him in. Aki stared up, "Otou? What does wife mean?"

"A wife is someone who is married to the person they love."

"Is mama your wife?"

Sasuke looked up at Sakura who blushed and dropped her bags. Sasuke smirked. "Not yet. But maybe she will be by the time we head home."

Aki smiled, "Mama! You should be Otou's wife!"

Sakura sighed and retreated from the room to the tiny bathroom. She felt confused and overwhelmed by what was happening. She breathed in harsh breaths and was stunned when Sasuke's hand fell on her cheek. He rasped against her ear, "I will give you a month to decide. I hope you will see the truth by then."

She stood there as he left her side and slipped into bed next to Aki. She stared at herself in the mirror, her heart and her mind now in a tug of war over her long lost love for Sasuke Uchiha.

**AN: Ehh, I apologize. This chapter wasn't entirely all that good. That's what I get for not writing for so long. Review folks! **


	9. Betrothed?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters! The plot for this story is mine!

**AN: Sorry for such a long update folks! Good news! I'm on my summer semester so I'll be able to update more often! Also, I've redone my outline for Her Silver Bells! I'm redoing the entire story because of the lack of detail it contained and I'm excited to start writing that again! I'm still continuing Her Mafia Monster, Fated Passions, this story, Ice Shattered Heart (on the side) and I'll start posting for Through Hell For You soon! My apologies for how long the epilogue for Naruto the Matchmaker is taking. I should have it done sometime this week! In the meantime, enjoy and review!**

**ANN: Hinata may be a bit oc…kinda like Road to Ninja Hinata. Just saying…**

Sakura awoke feeling warm and content in the bed she was in. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she looked around the room before settling her eyes on the other side of the bed. Aki was snuggled up in between her and Sasuke and one of Sasuke's arms laid over Aki's body. Sasuke's other hand was grasped firmly within her own and was playing with her fingers.

Sakura felt her cheeks warm and she immediately snatched her hand back to her side. The kunoichi sat up and crawled out of bed, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. Aki was the next to wake, using his little hands to rub his eyes, "Mama?"

Sakura looked up from her bag to see Aki yawning. "Go back to sleep baby, Mama's going to get us some breakfast."

Sasuke was the last to wake, sitting up in the bed and rubbing his forehead. Sakura had to avert her eyes from his bare chest and anbu tattoo. "Why don't we go together?"

Sakura rubbed her own anbu mark on her shoulder. "It's fine, I can-"

Aki smiled at her. "Mama! Can we?"

The pinkette sighed and shook her head slowly. Aki jumped out of bed and rushed at her, wrapping his arms around her legs. Sasuke watched the two quietly, a faint smile crossing his lips when Sakura bent down to help Aki change into some different clothes. Sasuke slowly stood from the bed, stretching his arms over his head. He heard a snort and a distinct gasp from across the room and he smirked. He turned, "See something you like?"

Sakura smirked at him as well, "Not on your life Uchiha. Now get dressed unless you want us to ditch you."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes but threw on some clothes before trailing over to Sakura's side. "Hn." She watched as he picked up the hand that still held the pink diamond on her finger. Her face remained blank as he kissed the knuckle and leaned down to pat Aki on the head. "Shall we?"

The parents let Aki lead them out of the room and down the hall to where a small dining room was located. As the three took their seats Sasuke whipped out the mission scroll. "It says that we are to spend today as a family."

Sakura reached across the table and swiped the scroll out of the Uchiha's hands. She could feel her eyes twitching after reading each of her teacher's words. She finally threw the scroll down and dove into her breakfast. Aki's eyebrows furrowed and he tugged on Sasuke's sleeve. "Otou? Why does Mama seem angry?"

Sasuke simply shrugged and smirked at the fuming woman across the table. He could hear the faint curse words she was muttering under her breath and the threats of how she would pummel Tsunade upon her return to the village. Aki was unsatisfied with this answer. He tugged on Sakura's sleeve, "Mama? Your cheeks are red!"

Sasuke snickered, "Sakura?"

"Shut it Uchiha! I'm trying to think over here!"

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. She was trying to hard to find reasons to stay away from him. He saw Aki frown at his mother's reaction and he looked over to the older Uchiha. "Otou…"

Sasuke knew he was acting unlike himself but this girl was going to drive him nuts if she didn't calm down and relax. He picked up a handful of rice and threw it across the table. Aki's eyes went wide and Sakura shut her mouth as the handful of rice landed on her chest and neck. The little boy burst out laughing and fell over by his father who was only smirking at the enraged kunoichi across from him. "You're much too tense. You need to relax."

Sakura felt her blood pressure rise. How could he be so childish? How could he make their little boy laugh so easily at her? "Uchiha…"

Aki covered his mouth with his tiny hands and watched the red spread on his mother's cheeks. Sasuke looked down at his food and sighed when he felt a clump of rice hit his head. Aki watched his parents glare at each other. The Uchiha lifted his hand and wiped the rice from his hair. He smirked at Sakura, "It's nice to see you blush again."

She narrowed her eyes and looked away from him. Sasuke looked over at the little boy who was slowly calming down. "Isn't mama's blush pretty?" Aki nodded, "Otou, why is mama blushing?"

"It means she's embarrassed."

Sakura grumbled to herself and hid a small smile while watching as the two laughed together in peace.

BACK IN KONOHA:

"I'm getting to the bottom of this once and for all."

Shikamaru shook his head, "Neji, tying TenTen up to get answers when you know she was special operatives in ANBU will not work."

Neji ignored the genius's logical thinking. "I've been her teammate for years, I know all her tricks."

The lazy genius leaned against a tree, "Yea well Ino's been my teammate too but I still can't figure out any of the new things she learned." Naruto huffed next to the man. "I can't believe Teme got Baa-san to give Sakura the mission. He'll probably get all his answers within the month he's away."

Neji grunted as he tied the last chakra rope. He stood and wiped his hands. This girl may have been in the special operatives unit, but he too had learned a couple of new tricks while she was away. He had not been so lucky for Tsunade to give him a mission confining the two together, so he came up with a more creative plan. He waved at Naruto, "You know the plan right?"

Naruto eagerly nodded and cracked his neck. Shikamaru shook his head, "This isn't going to work."

"And what will? You have some leverage over Ino at least."

Shikamaru stared at the Hyuuga with narrowed eyes. "Leverage?"

He pointed to some of the girls gazing at them across the field. "You know why Ino left. Use that to your advantage and make her jealous."

The genius was startled by the usually stoic man's response. "I swear you've been hanging around Naruto too much."

From a bit away Naruto screamed, "Hey! I heard that!"

Shikamaru crossed his arms. People sometimes forget that Ino had a tempter when it came to her teammates. Despite the fact that she left because of a false story, he was not about to make it worse. "Making her jealous is asking for a death sentence."

"Coward," Neji said rolling his eyes. "Even Naruto is jumping into this. He's willing to put his life on the line to get Hinata back."

"I didn't realize it was such a life or death experience."

"You know that it is. Now are you going to help or what?"

Shikamaru shook his head as he sat down next to the tree to gaze at the clouds. He was intrigued by Neji's plan to get TenTen to talk. But he was counting on catching her alone. What if she had Ino or Hinata with her? He muttered under his breath, "Damn death wish."

The park went quiet as Naruto stood on the balls of his feet as he gazed at the road. Neji had promised to help him with his cousin if he had agreed to help him in return to find TenTen. It was an offer Naruto couldn't refuse. The future Hokage's eyes widened when he saw TenTen walking down the street, a man walking next to her. He could hear Neji's muffled curses behind him as he took off down the hill, screaming her name. "TENTEN!"

Said girl stopped in her tracks and looked behind her. Her beautiful brown hair whipped behind her and covered part of her brown eyes. Why was Naruto calling her? The man beside her frowned once the blonde landed in front of them and jumped on his feet. "TenTen! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"I'm not telling you where Hinata is."

"No, it's not about Hina. I swear."

She narrowed her eyes, "What do you want?"

"I've having trouble with a technique and it requires someone who can handle a lot of ninja weapons at one time! I figured since you were the best with these things you could help me!"

TenTen smirked. It felt good to have someone recognizing her talent once again. Neji had barely done that when they were together. The instant the smirk appeared, it fell. "Why would I help you?"

Naruto fell to his knees and looked at her with wide pleading eyes. "Please? You're the best and no one else will help! Anbu really wants me to learn this!"

The girl sighed and turned to the man beside her. "I'll see you later alright?"

He nodded and kissed her cheek. Naruto glared at him as he walked away, his hands in his pockets. TenTen then turned to Naruto and sighed, "Alright Naruto. Lead the way."

The blonde eagerly talked about useless things as TenTen crossed her arms and walked slowly. Something about this situation unnerved her. Since when had she helped Naruto with any techniques? Usually Neji had done that in the past. The girl stopped once they reached the actual training ground and removed a scroll from her pocket. She summoned five kunai to her hand. "Just tell me what you need to do Naruto."

"The technique says that I have to pin my enemy. Through that, I need to use my rasengan to avoid all the flying weapons."

She was more suspicious. "Why can't you get someone else to help?"

"Because TenTen! Now are you going to help me or not?"

She grumbled but threw the kunai at him, producing more from her scroll. She watched as he produced two shadow clones and formed two rasengans. They blocked the kunai and he started to advance on her. TenTen forgot about her suspicions as Naruto yelled, "Come on! I know you're better than that TenTen!"

She grit her teeth and continued on with her barrage of weapons. She didn't notice how Naruto continued to push her closer to the tree Shikamaru and Neji were hiding behind. The girl was too focused on proving to Naruto that she could handle helping him with the technique. He continued to yell and laugh as he avoided her weapons with his rasengan. She grunted when her back hit the tree and her feet stuck in place. She held onto her kunai's as she tried to move. "What the hell?"

She looked down at her legs to see she was bound with chakra strings. They bent painfully against her legs as she struggled. More strings appeared and wrapped around her arms, keeping her from moving. She glared up at Naruto, "What the hell is this? What's going on?"

Naruto retracted his shadow clones and sat down in front of her, "Oi Neji! She's bound."

Neji and Shikamaru appeared from behind the tree and walked to where Naruto was sitting. Neji smirked, "Nice job Naruto."

The genius was shaking his head. He couldn't believe it worked. How had she fallen for it so easily? He stuck his hands in his pockets as the bound girl started to cuss and spit at the Hyuuga. "I knew it wasn't a stupid Anbu suggestion! Let me go right now Hyuuga!"

"You're not going anywhere until we talk."

"You're out of your bloody mind."

Neji only continued to smirk, "Be that as it may TenTen, we have business to discuss and this seems to be the only way you will talk without attacking your own teammate."

"We haven't been teammates for years Neji. Get over yourself."

He remained stoic. "I have all day."

"Yea well I don't, so let me go!"

He didn't answer. Instead he crossed his arms and leaned against another tree. He knew she'd eventually give in. He was content on waiting it out. What he wasn't counting on was two more visitors joining them. Ino appeared from the right, dragging a visibly angry Hinata up the hill. "JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU"RE DOING?"

Shikamaru sighed, "Death wish."

The blonde stopped next to the tree and saw her brunette friend near tears by how hard she was struggling against the restraints. She turned to the three men, "I have half a mind to report you three to Tsunade-sama for this!"

"Stay out of it Yamanaka. I'd doing this for answers."

Hinata narrowed her eyes at her cousin. "Neji-san…this isn't the way to do it."

Naruto gulped and tugged at his collar. He'd only seen Hinata look angry a few times in his life. This look was on another level. Her eyes were on fire and she stalked up to her cousin. She grabbed his collar, "Let her go now before I take to you Tsunade-sama."

Neji wouldn't deny that he was slightly shocked to see his timid cousin speaking to him this way. Ino was doing her best to untie TenTen with a kunai. Naruto stood, "Hina-chan…we didn't mean to hurt her. Neji just wants some answers."

She turned her glare to Naruto before sighing, "You know better than that Naruto-san."

His face twitched into a frown. Ino had cut TenTen loose and was holding onto the violent weapons mistress. The brunette was panting and flexing her arms to get the blood flowing once again. She snarled, "Move Hinata."

Hinata did as she was told and moved to the side. TenTen jumped out of Ino's arms and latched onto Neji's collar, "YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO DO THAT YOU ASSHOLE!"

He glared at the woman that drove him nuts. "You had no right to leave."

Her anger boiled over. She slapped the stoic man so hard his head staggered to the side. She clenched his collar tight, "YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I LEFT? I LEFT BECAUSE YOU HAD GOTTEN BETROTHED TO ANOTHER WOMAN!"

It felt like someone had sucked the air from his lungs. Betrothed to another woman? How? When? "TenTen…you're speaking nonsense."

"I'm speaking nonsense? Well you seemed pretty content in her fucking arms when you told me TO MY FACE THAT WE WERE OVER!"

She let him go and stared at him as he opening gaped at her. The two men beside him were stunned. TenTen held back her tears as she retreated back to Ino and Hinata, "Hope you're happy…asshole."

Neji couldn't move. He looked to Hinata, "Am I to assume you left because of a similar reason?"

His cousin's eyes hardened and she glared over at the dumbfounded blonde. "Naruto-san…you were in bed with another woman…our bed."

Ino shook her head, "Now that you've all been caught up on the reason you ruined our lives, we'll be going. Hope you don't regret your actions." Ino grabbed TenTen and Hinata and pulled them away from the shell shocked men. Naruto was clutching his chest, his eyes clearly betraying his confusion. He had never strayed from Hinata. He didn't have it in himself to do such a thing! Shikamaru only shook his head at the descending women, "Told you it wouldn't work."

WITH SASUKE AND SAKURA:

"YOU MORON!"

Sasuke sighed and dodged Sakura's incoming punch by completing a backflip and landing by his son. Aki stood next to his father, his tiny hands clapping. "Do it again!"

Sakura glared at the Uchiha, "Look what you did. I hope you're happy."

Sasuke picked the small boy up and let him climb onto his shoulders. He walked to Sakura's side and put his hand on the small of her back. "I am now that you're back."

She shrugged away from his touch. Aki frowned seeing Sakura frown and tugged on Sasuke's hair, "Why is mama sad?"

Sasuke didn't move and stopped Sakura from moving. They had spent the day together, hiking and showing Aki the sights of Fire country. Sakura had been quiet the entire day until Sasuke had shown Aki some of his ninjutsu. That in turn prompted the two to get into a full on spar right in front of their son. Sakura glared at the man holding her in place. She didn't move when he stroked her cheek, "You shouldn't be so sad."

Her eyes darted up at her son who looked content sitting on his father's shoulders. It was a sight Sakura had wished to see and now that it was happening, it nearly broke her resolve to be angry with the Uchiha. His fingers touched her nose before he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "You're more beautiful when you smile."

She blushed under his touch and shook her head. She broke Sasuke's grip and rushed into their room from the dirt balcony they were on. Sasuke sighed and turned to peer off the cliff. "Otou?"

"Yes son?"

"Why is mama mad at you?"

Sasuke helped Aki off his shoulders and held him in his arms. He still couldn't believe he had a child with Sakura. The boy was perfect and he regretted that he missed out on so many years of his life. Sasuke hugged him tighter, "I don't know Aki."

"Is you going to make her feel better? Whenever I'm sad mama sings to me and lets me cry."

Sasuke only nodded against his son's head. He wanted to make things better but he couldn't do it until Sakura opened up and talked to him. He had no way to prove his innocence except his memories. His eyes widened slightly and he smirked. He had the perfect way of showing Sakura his innocence and assuring her stay with him. He kissed his son's forehead, "Everything will be alright."

He turned to go inside and held Aki tightly as he opened the door. He saw Sakura sitting on the bed, her eyes gazing out into space. She barely noticed how Sasuke got their son dressed in his pajamas and down into bed. It was only when he stroked her neck with his hand that she broke out of her daze. He smirked, "Can I speak with you outside?"

She stared at him for a moment before nodding. She kissed her son's head and followed him out into the night, knowing that she was following a predator about to devour its prey.

**AN: Enjoy and Review!**


	10. She Was Wrong

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters! The plot for this story is mine!

**AN: I'm dizzy writing like six different stories. I'm going to try and get through this and Fated Passion within the next two weeks! Enjoy this and review!**

**ANN: I did a little research, and according to what I read, a final part of the sharingan can be used for hypnosis, and in addition to that, memories can be replayed through memory. The reason I'm stating this? Well, read on then! **

4 DAYS LATER:

Sakura stared out over the cliff of the mountain retreat with a blank gaze. The moonless night allowed the stars to shine brighter in the sky over her head. A small tear swelled up into her left eye and slowly fell down her rounded cheek. Sakura angrily shoved her hand over her eye to wipe away the fact that she was crying. She watched the top of the trees below her slowly wave in the wind while animals around her nestled in for a quiet evening. Sakura gathered her knees up to her chest and dug her face into the hidden space to hide from the world. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have left everything behind when she was so blind? She couldn't stop the soft sob that escaped her throat. Her body shook as she started to cry, feeling the weight of the world on top of her shoulders. The tremors in her body mixed with her ever-mounting anger and she struggled not to throw her fists down on the mountainside. She felt completely foolish.

Sasuke sat on the floor next to the bed inside the room, his eyes gazing at the woman's back. His son lay on his lap asleep, unaware of his mother's emotional episode occurring outside. Sasuke stroked the child's hair, a large sigh leaving his chest. His attempts to show her the truth had not gone the way he planned. He didn't wish to see her cry the way she had been crying for the past four days. He had thought she would be angry of course, but this was completely out of his spectrum.

Aki did not notice the wiser that his mother was struggling with a part of her past that changed her life so drastic. Sakura had been a perfect actor when around the little boy, and was even more cordial towards Sasuke on their outings. Sasuke watched as Sakura slumped further towards the ground, her sobs becoming louder and much more chocked. Sakura shook her head and continued to wipe away the tears from her eyes. She wanted this whole thing to go away. She wanted to change the past. As she moved her hand past her face, the pink diamond on her ring finger caught her eye. She lowered her hand to gaze at the rock, a perfect memory of what Sasuke had shown her surfacing in her mind.

FLASHBACK:

_4 DAYS AGO: _

_Sakura followed Sasuke out onto the mountaintop away from their room. Sakura gazed back towards their little boy who was nestled in the large bed in the room. Sasuke was already at the edge of the cliff, his hand clenched into a fist. Sakura crossed her arms and approached him from behind, "What is it Uchiha?" _

_He didn't turn towards her. Instead, she watched his shoulders slump as he let out a sigh. "Sakura…you don't know…" _

"_I don't know what?" _

_He turned towards her now, his eyes the color red and his kekkei genkai glowing brightly against the night sky. Sakura felt a bit unnerved as she gazed at the man in front of her. He'd never use his sharingan on her. Just what was he trying to do? _

_Sasuke's eyes spun rapidly as he stared at Sakura. He knew she was a master at genjutsu so he had the faint inkling that it wouldn't work. Sakura felt her body relax as she gazed into the bright red eyes she had known so well 4 years ago. As the tomoes spun faster, she felt her body begin to give under the weight of gravity. Her knees buckled and she fell forward, crashing against Sasuke's chest. Her eyes were glazed over as Sasuke lowered himself to the ground with her in his arms. He shut his eyes and grabbed her hand, showing her just exactly what he wanted her to see. _

_Sakura knew this wasn't present time. For one, she was in a forest and two; she was gazing at a group of four anbu who were quietly plotting their next move. She recognized Sasuke's wolf mask as he crouched underneath a bunch of brush next to Naruto who of course had a fox mask. She spied Shikamaru hidden in a branch above them with a cat mask and signaling to Neji across from him who was silent with his bird mask. _

'_Where the hell am I?' _

"_You are in my memories Sakura." _

_She looked around for the voice only to find nothing around her. She was in Sasuke's memories? What was the point of this? How the hell had this happened? She should've been able to detect through a genjutsu immediately. Her head whipped up when the two in the trees leapt down into the clearing with their swords raised. The two men in the bush eagerly jumped out to join the two as they surrounded a small group of bandits who were sorting through loot they had just stolen. _

_It took no time at all for the anbu to finish taking care of the small group before Neji dropped to his knees and started to sort through their bags. He pulled out a couple scrolls and shoved them into one of his packs before getting up. "Found them. We can move forward now." _

_Sasuke crossed his arms, "Finally." _

"_Ehh lighten up Teme! I'm sure everything's alright back home!" _

"_Hn shut it dobe. I know everything's fine."_

_Sakura however, could feel the concern dripping off the man in the clearing. The four obviously didn't see her as they jumped back through the brush and walked past her towards their camp. Her hand brushed Sasuke's chest and he stopped for a second only to run faster to catch up with the group. Sakura found herself following the group as they settled into a small grove for the night. _

_Naruto babbled on about the lack of ramen on long missions like these when a hawk swooped down from above and landed on Sasuke's raised arm. Shikamaru quickly untied the bundle of letters before Sasuke lifted his arm and helped the hawk take back off into the sky. Neji eagerly reached out and slipped one of the notes away. He smiled at his name, "I love getting letters from her." _

_Sasuke took the note he was given and sat back against a tree. The fire sparked in the background as he cut through the envelope and reached inside for the letter. It faintly smelled of Sakura's natural scent of vanilla and blossoms and it calmed the Uchiha. He quickly scanned through Sakura's note, mindlessly forgetting to read her small note at the end. So she had a surprise to give him huh? He smirked and leaned back against the tree, "Only one more week." _

_Naruto yawned, "I can't wait to be back home! I bet Hinata-chan will be waiting for me with some ramen!" _

_Sasuke tuned out his teammate's incessant talking and shut his eyes. Sakura could see exactly what he was picturing. It was as if she were living his memory. He pictured a small box hidden in their dresser drawer, a note attached to it with her name. _

_Sakura couldn't help a small tear that dribbled down at cheek. This couldn't be real. She had seen it so vividly. The memory sped up slightly as she watched the four complete their mission in Kiri and send their regards to the Mizukage. It was pitch black as they ran, eager to get home by dawn. Her stomach grew into a knot as she remembered this was the day that she and the girls had taken off. She watched the boys run through the gate and stop. Her heart dropped when Shikamaru began to question if anyone could sense Ino. They took off towards the Hokage tower only for Sasuke to come rushing back to their apartment. _

_She watched him cuss and rant and nearly begin to cry when he found her note on the bed and Kakashi ordering them to stay put. She didn't want to see anymore. She couldn't stop the wave after wave of guilt washing over her body as she watched Sasuke pray for her return, just as she had many years ago. She shut her eyes and shook her head, "Wake me up! I'm done! I don't want to see anymore!" _

_The next thing she knew, she was in Sasuke's arms, his pure onyx eyes staring down at her as she slowly woke up from the hypnosis she had been put under. She faintly remembered Kakashi telling her that replaying memories through a genjutsu was another specialty of the sharingan. Her eyes were filled with tears as Sasuke spoke, "You saw everything I lived Sakura. There is no lie to what you have seen."_

_It couldn't be. Her memories of him in bed with another woman burned through her head as she fought to realize that she had been wrong all along. She was wrong, and she never gave him a chance to explain himself. She could've saved herself so much trouble…if she had just stayed and trusted him. Sakura fought to remove herself from him. She couldn't believe she had just so blatantly disregarded him when she was pregnant. Sasuke struggled to keep her in place until her strength won out and she fell to the ground on her side. Sasuke moved to touch her when she hissed, "Don't! Just don't!" _

"_Sakura…" _

_She got to her feet and ran towards the room, hoping to anyone who would listen that Sasuke wouldn't see the glistening tears on her cheeks. _

_END FLASHBACK: _

Sakura felt repulsed by herself. She thought through his memories over and over and over until she was crying harder. Four years of being angry. Four years of forgoing anything but training and caring for her son. Four years that she missed out on being a family with Sasuke. It was all gone and she could never get it back. She could never take back her actions now. "I'm so stupid…"

Sasuke finally stood inside and adjusted Aki so that his head was resting against his shoulder and his legs around his waist. Sasuke moved stealthily through the sliding door and out onto the mountaintop to where Sakura was sitting. The pinkette froze when she felt a body sit down next to her and lean against her side. Sakura looked up through her puffy eyes and flushed cheeks to see Sasuke tenderly holding their four year old as he snored away. Sasuke wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her close to his body. She blushed but didn't remove herself like Sasuke thought he would. "I didn't show you those memories for you to cry."

"Then why did you?"

He finally looked down at her; "I did it so we can start over."

She looked puzzled. Her eyes were wide when he moved Aki to lay in his lap, his head stretching to lay in Sakura's lap. She put her hand on his head, "What do you mean start over?"

Sasuke grabbed her hand, "I showed you the past. What's done is done Sakura."

She swallowed and nodded. She agreed. There was nothing she could do now but keep going forward. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

They had a child to think about. That child was snoring away, perfectly content with both his parents hovering over him. Sasuke sighed, "You know what I want Sakura."

He wanted her back. He wanted to make up for time lost. He wanted to have the family that he so desperately wished for. Sakura didn't know if she could marry him. How could he not be angry with her? How could he not want to just take their child and be rid of her? "Sasuke…"

He smirked, "Hn, its better then Uchiha."

She giggled and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I don't know Sasuke…everything is so messed up and its all my fault."

It was silent for a few minutes before Sasuke spoke, "It's not your fault Sakura."

"I left you in the dark for years Sasuke. I should've waited for you…I should-" She was cut off by a simple descent of his lips against hers. Sakura stilled for a minute before shutting her eyes and letting herself respond back to Sasuke's kiss, going further and deepening it. Sasuke's hand reached up and sprawled out over her cheek. The kiss was slow, much like that of a first kiss between a pair of young lovers. Sakura's lips were puffy and moist against his dry lips and he almost dared to slip his tongue into her mouth to reclaim the territory that had been his. Sakura felt herself melt into Sasuke's side as he nibbled on her lower lip and pulled away to breathe.

Sakura's cheeks were red and she had to put her hand up to still her rapidly beating heart. Sasuke leaned his forehead against hers and spoke quietly, "Just say yes."

She shut her eyes, "Sasuke…"

The elder Uchiha moved to speak when the boy in their laps started to move and yawned. He rubbed his tiny fists against his eyes and gazed up with blurry eyes at his parents. A small smile overtook his face when he saw their attention being turned to him. "Mama? Otou? Where are we?"

Sakura cleared her throat and removed her forehead from Sasuke's. She helped Aki sit up and pulled him into her lap. "We're star gazing sweetie."

He frowned at his mother's red eyes, "Were you and Otou fighting?"

Sasuke shook his head, "No son, we were just talking."

"Then why is mama crying?"

Sakura kissed her son's head, "I'm just confused honey, don't worry. Mama and Otou are okay."

His little face brightened up and he moved to stare at his mother. "Does that mean you and Otou will get married?"

Silence swept over the three and Sasuke pointedly took to staring at Sakura to see her reaction. The kunoichi's face was frozen before she breathed. She looked up to see a shooting star passing over their heads. Aki forgot his question and eagerly pointed to the star in the sky racing over his head. Sasuke however, did not let the question go. He grabbed Sakura's hand and squeezed, directly her attention to him.

The look in his eyes were so smoldering under the stars shining light that she nearly melted. She wanted to badly to move on and give Sasuke what he wanted. The fear was clear as day in her eyes before he reached forward and pressed a light kiss to her lips. She gasped at his parting words, "I'll be waiting…"

**AN: Well…I think I gave some answers here. Review! **


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